


Uncountable Infinities

by eve11



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Flash Fic, Gen, Surrealism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-13
Updated: 2013-01-13
Packaged: 2017-11-25 07:45:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/636679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eve11/pseuds/eve11
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A fifteen (well, twenty) minute ficlet for lost spook.  Written for Fandom Stocking 2012.  I used a prompt from dw_straybunnies: Eight and Charley visiting some place surreal, with their early enthusiasm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Uncountable Infinities

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lost_spook](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lost_spook/gifts).



Charley was beginning to wonder if the Galathian Aleph station truly went on forever. She made the mistake of pointing this out to the Doctor after they disembarked again from a perpendicular line and were met with another scrolling, endless list of stations on the ticker-board.

"Of course it goes on forever," the Doctor said distractedly, his eyes tracking the board. He pointed to a series of half-of-half-of-half-way ETAs on the board. "Those are Zeno-arrival times. So not only does each line go on forever," he said, "But each point on the line also has an intersection with another line--"

"Let me guess," Charley said. "That goes on, _forever_."

"Exactly!" The Doctor said, ignoring her frustrated frown. "The whole station is built on block transfer equations. It's quite brilliant actually."

Charley's head hurt. Down the way, a whistle blew, the sound compressing from low to high pitch as an infinite arrival… arrived. "How are we supposed to get back to the TARDIS?"

He eyed the tracks and checked his watch. "This is as good as any, I suppose. What we really need is a map."

"Like a piece of paper?" she asked, boarding the train with him.

"Well, no," he answered. "More like a nonlinear projection. . . "

He tapped a panel on the wall and thrust his screwdriver into the resulting mess of wires that were revealed after it sprung open.

"Aha!" he cried. "Yes, polar co-ordinates will do quite nicely." The sonic buzzed and the train ground to a halt. When they stepped outside, Charley goggled.

"The trainmaster said we would never reach her again!"

"That's the thing with uncountable infinities," the Doctor said, ushering her off of the platform to the doors of the TARDIS. STATION ONE, read the placard. "It just takes a half-circle to map infinity to one."


End file.
